Bangladesh moves second group of Rohingyas to remote Bay of Bengal island

Rohingyas prepare to board a ship as they move to Bhasan Char island near Chattogram, Bangladesh. Credit: Reuters

Bangladesh started moving a second group of Rohingya Muslim refugees to a low-lying island in the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday, a naval official told Reuters, despite opposition from rights groups worried about the new site's vulnerability to floods.

The 1,804 Rohingya were being moved in seven ships to Bhasan Char island, said Navy Commodore Abdullah Al Mamun Chowdhury.

"We are ready to receive the new arrivals," he said by telephone from the island.

A first group of more than 1,600 Rohingya, members of a minority group who have fled from Myanmar, were relocated from their camps near the Myanmar border to Bhasan Char earlier in the month.